Exemestane (Aromasin)

Warning:Reductions in bone mineral density (BMD) over time are seen withexemestaneuse. The medication can cause potential drug interactions in patient suffering from liver
or kidney problems. Therefore, before you begin treatment you should tell your oncologist if you have kidney
disease, liver disease, and osteoporosis.

Indications:Exemestane is used to treat certain types of breast
cancer and is one of several drugs known as aromatase inhibitors.
Some breast cancer cells use estrogen as a source of nourishment and to spread. This drug stops the making of estrogen in the body, thus slowing down the
spread of the cancer cells. It is used mainly on women who have
already gone through the menopausal cycle and is used not only to slow cancer growth but also to prevent the
cancer from coming back.

While extremely rare,
there have been some cases involving serious side effects such as mood changes, depression, anxiety, vaginal
bleeding, small bone fractures, and blood clots. There are also
reported instances where the blood clots resulted in heart attack and stroke, so it is important to contact your
physician at once if you exhibit these symptoms. If you experience
more serious effects such as shortness of breath, numbness on the left side, chest pain, vision problems, or
pain in the groin, you should notify your doctor as soon as possible.

Exemestane has several
common side effects and these include: diarrhea, joint or muscle
pain, abnormal sweating from the glands, hair loss, hot flashes, and nausea. While irritating, they are normal, but if you have concerns, you should
address them with your doctor. Any symptom that appears to be more
severe should be reported to your doctor as well.

Dosage:Exemestane comes in tablet form to be
taken by mouth. When using the medication for the first time and upon each refill of the prescription, it is
important to read everything that you are given to read concerning this drug. This drug is taken once a day orally in a pill form and should be taken
while eating or immediately after. Do not stop taking this drug
unless directed to do so by your doctor.

Overdose:all chemotherapy drugs
including Exemestane
can cause serious health problems when overdosed. Contact your doctor or a local poison control center near you
immediately if you experience symptoms indicatingExemestane
overdose. Do not neglect to see your physician; an overdose
ofExemestane can
lead to death.

Missing dose:
in case you forget to take a dose ofExemestane
, take the missed one
as soon as you remember if it is not almost times for the following dose; do not
double the next dose to recover the missed one; it can be dangerous. You can contact your doctor or wait to go back
to your regular schedule.

Contraindications:
Exemestane is contraindicated for children and women who are:

pregnant

breastfeeding

premenopausal

being treated with estrogen

Allergic to Exemestane
or one of its constituents.

Before
beginning a breast cancer treatment with
Exemestane, tell your doctor if you have any of these health problems:

Severe liver
failure

chronic kidney
failure

Glucose and galactose
malabsorption.

Mechanism of action (MOA):
Exemestane is an enzyme inhibitor that is used in the treatment of hormone-receptor-positive (or
estrogen-responsive) breast cancer. It works by reducing the amount of estrogen produced by the body which cancer
cells need to live.

Interactions:
Some drugs and herbal treatments are known to remove this drug at a faster rate from your body than normal
absorption. Therefore, it is important to tell your doctor of all
medications, herbs, and herbal treatments that you are using. Your doctor will need to know this so that an adjustment in your dose may be
made, if necessary.

Any drugs containing
estrogen in them should be avoided while taking Exemestane to prevent a reduction in the effectiveness of this
drug.

combination of Exemestane with
carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, and Tegretol) and all treatments containing estrogens is not
recommended.

The
following drugs can affect the healing action of Exemestane, or increase the risk of side effects. talk to your
doctor before taking any of the following:

Side
effects:in the combat against breast cancer
cells, Exemestane can bring good results; however, by attacking cancer, the drug also affect healthy cells that
multiply rapidly, which can cause adverse effects in most patients. The most common Exemestane side effects
include: